30 weeks, baby room, kicking Dad etc.

So here we are - 30 weeks and counting! The home stretch! I am thankful that we are counting down the days as I become more uncomfortable each week. I hate to complain as the pregnancy has been great and without complication, but just give me a moment. Life's every day activites such as getting off the couch, getting into a car, tying one's shoes, putting away groceries, doing laundry etc. are becoming quite difficult! Uninterrupted sleep is a thing of the past and I realize post-delivery that won't improve! Between the frequent trips to the restroom, back pain, wrestling with my body pillow, changing sides to relieve my numb and sore hips etc. there is usually never more than an hour of sleep at a time. Just when I do get to sleep, it seems that little AC starts her workout and the kicking and punching seems to last for hours. Even in the middle of the night though, I really enjoy that time with her. :-) I have not been able to catch Brad quickly enough to feel the good kicks... either that or he is too impatient to lay quietly and wait for her to show off. This morning around 5 AM I could not resist waking him up. I was bound and determined for him to feel her moving and she was putting on quite a show! At first he did not seem pleased that I woke him up, but within a moment he was feeling some intense movements and needless to say - he quickly forgot that it was 5 AM (just an hour before his alarm goes off!) It was neat to see his reaction - he could not believe that he was really feeling her every move! I was so glad to share that with him. But then of course... I could not get back to sleep! I have been feeling those outside kicks for a few weeks now - every day they become more intense and more frequent, so I am glad we finally caught Dad! She loved kicking him!

Last night we hung the curtains and valances in the nursery... they look great and things are really coming along. As soon as I work on the bare walls and get some things hung up, I promise to post pictures. It looks great and I find myself sitting in there just looking around at least a few times a day.Even in the temporary nursery at the apartment, I think we are making a really cozy home for her. :-) Now I am on the hunt for a lamp, a rug and some wall decor. We do have letters on the way for above her crib... one of Brad's coworker's commissioned his wife to make some for us as a gift. I can't wait to see them! Other than that I just want something colorful to hang above the dresser and a few odds and ends to help break up the white walls! It will be so fun to paint when we find a new house... I already have a million ideas!

P.S. - I assumed no news was good news regarding my glucose screening, but I called today just to be sure. I passed with flying colors! Next doctor's appt is August 13th. I will go twice in August and then once a week in September and October/before delivery.

Project Baby Room

Last night we finally started the process of getting our extra bedroom cleaned out and ready for baby furniture and gear! I did what I could to help, but Brad worked for a few hours and accomplished quite a bit by himself! Nursery Time called us last week to notify us that the furniture arrived, but we have avoided picking it up until we make room in our tiny apartment. Things are looking good... once Goodwill comes to pick up some furniture we are donating we will be in great shape. Hopefully Brad can go pick up her furniture tomorrow! The dresser is assembled, but I think the crib will take some assembling and effort. :-) Hunny has the bedding and we should pick that up next weekend! Other than that - we will have to work on getting a mattress and mattress cover before I can officially make the bed. :-) We won't worry about painting until we move into a house. For now I hope to just hang some decorative and colorful things on the walls to make the room more baby friendly... and the cute window valances! :-)I am sure this process will take a few weeks!

I am really feeling the urge to nest and get things prepared! I plan to hold off on any other purchases until after the baby shower, but it is tough! I would like to get the Pack and Play and the car seat so I can mark the MUST HAVE items off my list... and a changing pad and cover and about a million other things! It is funny how relaxed you are until you suddenly realize that you only have about 10 weeks to get it all together before she makes her way into this world! I think September will be a SLOW month for me both mentally and physically so my goal is to have the majority of things accomplished before I hit that point. Trying to be patient and get a few things at a time. This baby business is expensive... but it is so much fun - we can't wait! Once we get it all together in the next few weeks I will send pictures.

Hard to believe I am 29 weeks... October will be here before we know it! I feel great most of the day, but then the back pain sets in around 5:00 on the dot and of course sleeping is becoming more of a chore. But - I am hanging in there and feel lucky to have had such a smooth pregnancy. So far, so good! I have not heard anything about the glucose test and Dr. Mitchell said no news is good news, but I may call today just to make sure!

Picture Perfect!

It was amazing! She has gotten so big and looks like a perfect little baby at this point. We can't wait to meet her! During the ultrasound we saw her open and shut her eyes! She did wiggle a bit for the camera, but for the most part she was still and resting which gave us some amazing shots of her cute little face! In the first picture below her face is a little scrunched up and distorted, but we were shocked at the fullness of her lips! The 2nd and 3rd shots show her face... look at her chubby cheeks! She is resting her little head on her hand and has her knee drawn up! In the 4th shot she is smiling - or at least it looks that way if you look closely. Another thing we noticed - she has some large feet! There are many more pics to share, but these were some of the best shots and I am in a hurry. Isn't this amazing? I am more excited than ever before! She is beautiful!

Off to the lake!

Quick Update

It's hot.

Ultrasound is today at 1:00 and then we are off to Laurel Lake for the weekend. Looking forward to visiting with friends and floating on a raft! My goal is to stay cool which means I will be in the water! :-) I think my lake days are just about over until next summer - so I plan to enjoy it while I still can!

If I have time this afternoon to upload the ultrasound pics before we take off, I will. If not - please check back Monday morning for ultrasound pics and lake photos!

Have a great weekend!
xoxo

I survived!

So I reported to the lab this morning at 8:30. I left the doctor's office at 10:40. It has been a long day! The worst part was waking up knowing I could not have anything besides water. Of course I was starving! Drinking the thick, sugary, orange glucose drink on an empty stomach was really the worst part and it wasn't THAT bad. I did get a little shaky and after waiting an hour to have blood drawn, I was a little hot and woozy by the time the needle hit my arm. For those of you who know me, I have quite a phobia about needles anyhow. The frequent poking and prodding associated with pregnancy has pretty much tamed my fears, but it is still never fun! I am glad to have this test behind me! Hopefully the results will be good! They said they would call within a week if the tests results were bad. No news is good news, but I will keep you posted.

The doctor's visit went well. Regardless of all of the crazy stranger comments I wrote about last week, Dr. Mitchell says that I am measuring perfectly normal at this point... meaning my uterus is about exactly the size it should be! The babe may be a bit large and seems to maybe be sitting sideways at this point, but all that means at is that she may arrive a bit sooner than our targeted due date. They will be able to tell us with more accuracy in a month or so - but looks like the estimated due date may end up being closer to October 6th. I have done well with my weight gain, which was a surprise to me and my blood pressure is excellent. So far, so good! I am starting to feel very pregnant and normal activities are becoming a little more challenging as the belly gets larger - but that is to be expected. All in all, I am enjoying pregnancy and can't wait to meet our little girl! (For all of you veteran Mom's... I know, I know! I am sure I will change my tune in a few weeks and will be begging for her to make her debut!)

On another note... Hunny finally received the bedding! We have not seen it yet, but she says it is beautiful. I think it will be handed off to us at the next baby shower in August. :-) Still waiting on the furniture... its expected arrival is mid-August, which will give us plenty of time to get things set up - at least we hope! I am looking forward to getting the crib and dresser as I have this sudden urge to get things washed and put away! I guess I am hitting the "nesting" phase!

Fun with numbers

4... the number of times I got up last night to use the restroom!

9... the number of hours I need to sleep to feel human these days

13... the number of weeks until her due date (it wouldn't hurt for her to come 1 or 2 weeks early though!)

5... the time of day, every day that my back starts killing me

0... the number of days Brad can go without playing Tiger Woods or Rock Band :-)

2 1/2... AC's approximate weight at this point

15... AC's approximste length at this point

3... the number of hours I have proscrastinated - guess its time to do some cleaning


That's all for now. Can you tell I am bored? The sad thing is - I have plenty to do! Doc appt and glucose test (yuck) first thing in the morning. Will update you all tomorrow!xoxo

99 days until D-Day!

So I am officially 26 weeks and 2 days pregnant. The most exciting part about that is that my countdown is now down to the double digits! 99 days until the due date! I am 2/3 of the way through this pregnancy and that is really hard to believe! 27 weeks will mark the beginning of the final trimester - so 5 days remaining in the bliss of the 2nd trimester. If I am blessed like my mother, I could possibly deliver a week or two early - but I am not holding my breath. :-) Of course we want little AC to cook as long as possible and be healthy and happy when she makes her debut! Everything is still going very well, but I am starting to feel some pregnancy discomforts settling in. I consider myself lucky since so far everything has gone off without a hitch. Everyone has warned me that 30 weeks+ is a little uncomfortable, so I guess I am easing my way toward the 30 week mark. :-) If I am on my feet for a long time I can feel them swelling, much less aching! Sleeping is becoming increasingly difficult and I am sure that will just get worse as time progresses. Other than that, I feel pretty good, but IT IS HOT! Doc appt is on the 14th and that is when we have the icky glucose screening. Will keep you all posted! I just hope that the test is negative and that we continue to have a healthy pregnancy. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer for us!

JUST SO YOU KNOW... It is shocking to me how random strangers will comment on your pregnancy... here are some examples to make you giggle. When I was having a pedicure on Friday, the lady assisting me said that my "belly was not big enough for me to be six months pregnant." Then two days later a woman making my salad at Chipotle asked when my baby was due and was shocked when I said October. Her reply was "my baby is due in October too! You are a lot bigger than me." I swear I could not tell she was even pregnant! Disgusting I tell ya. That same day at the pool a stranger said, "Are you sure you aren't having twins? You must have a big baby in there!" People are intolerably brave. The more pregnant I get, the more brave I get - so these people should be warned! :-) That goes for you too Uncle Chris(Please note my brother's comment when he asks "what did you do, shove all the baby shower loot up your shirt?")

Anyhow - we enjoyed the holiday weekend. I was a bridesmaid in my dear friend, Kristen's wedding. It was so much fun to be a part of her day and spend time with my TU girls. As much fun as I had, I spent the entire day on Sunday recovering and sleeping and extended my weekend by taking Monday off. Brad took me, Jessica and Katie Minor to the lake on Monday - which was fun and very relaxing. I love to be in the water and it seems that Anna Claire does as well! She is really moving and packing quite a punch! This past week I have felt her from the outside with my hands a few times! I keep trying to catch Brad at the right moment, but no luck so far. They say it is common around 28 weeks, so we are getting there!